Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 63I,39|. Patented Aug. 22, |899:v

` H. E. AHHENS.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application 'led Dec. 27, 189e.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented Aug. 22, |899.

H. E. AHHENS.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Appncation'ed me. 2v, 189s.)

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WATER SUPP PIP E@ Ly E /N VEN TOH lia w/r/vEssEs ATTORNEY.

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UNITED STATES lPATENT OFFICE.

HowARD E. AHRENS, or READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIeNoR oE THREE- EIETHS To JAMESS. AHRENS AND HERMAN SMITH, on SAME PLACE, AND CHARLES M.l RICHARDSON, or RERNvILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AoETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 631,391 dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed December 27, 1898. Serial No. 700,381. (No model.)I

To all whom it may concern: tank and partly immersed in water, which o Be it known that I, HOWARD E. AHRENS, a acts in conjunction with calcium carbid or citizen of the United States, residing at Readcarburetof calcium to generate acetylene gas ing, in the countyof Berks and State of Pennand forms a seal for the lower and open ends 5 sylvania, have invented certain new and useof` the gas-generator and the gas-holder to ful Improvements in Apparatus for Generatprevent escape of gas into the apartment in ing Acetylene Gas; and I do hereby declare which the apparatus is located. These three the following to be a full, clear, and exact devessels may be cylindrical or of any preferred scription of the invention, such as will enable form to suit the conditions under which they 1o others skilled in the art to whichit appertains are to be used and are preferably made of o to make and use the same. galvanized sheet metal. 6o

Myinvention relates to the manufacture of The tank A is open at its upper end and is acetylene gas, and has for its objectl the conprovided with a conical lo,wer end a to facilistruction of an automatically-operating aptate the ready discharge of its contents when 15 paratus dispensing with springs and weights, required, a ,valve D for controlling the disso simple in its construction and operation charge through pipe b, a coupling c, and an that it can be manipulated with ease, and seinverted-funnel-shaped end cl, which extends curing absolute safety, so that it can be placed into a vesselE,and with a water-supplypipe F. in a building or dwelling without incurring The gasholder B is annular and rises 2o risk to life or damage to property; and it conand falls in' the tank A as the gas accumusists in certain improvements which will be lates therein or is drawn off for consumption 7o fully disclosed in the following specification through pipe G, which connects with the and claim. house supply-pipe H.

In the manufacture of acetylene gas two of The gas-generator C is surmounted by a 2 5 the greatest difculties encountered have carbid tank or receptacle I, which is probeen the heating of the gas-generator by the vided with a removable top or cover e and an 7' 5 gas evolved and the moistening of the carbid ordinary turning-plug valve J, which is conin the storage-receptacle and in the valve and nected to the upper end of the carbid-champassage leading therefrom to the gas-generaber K, preferably cylindrical in form and pro- 30 tor. It has been my object to overcome these lvided with a flange f, by which it is detachtwo great desiderata, and I have practically ably secured to the upper end of the carbid- 8o demonstrated that the generator can be kept distributing chamber L. At the lower end of cool and the carbid dry. the carbid-chamberis an annular vertical and In the accompanying drawings, which form sharp valve-seat g, which is engaged by a con- 3 5 part of this specification, Figure 1 represents ical distributing-valve M, which valve pera vertical section with the discharge-valve formsavery important function in the operand the coupling in side elevation; Fig. 2, a ation of my invention.

transverse section on line a: x, Fig. l; Fig. 3, I-Ieretofore all valves and other devices a vertical section, on an'enlarged scale, of the used to control the supply of the carbid to 4o carbid and the distributing chambers and the generator have been made of metal and,

showing the valve-operating mechanism in as a consequence, have accumulated conden- 9o side elevation; and Fig. 4, a perspective of sation from the gas generated, and the granuthe carbid-supply valve and part of its operlar carbid in its passage from the tank has ating mechanism. accumulated thereon and formed a coating 45 Reference being had tothe drawings and sufficient to prevent the forming of a tight the letters thereon, A indicates the tank, B joint against the valve-seat and permitted the gas-holder or gasometer, and C the gasthe gas, with its contained moisture,l to penegenerator, the former being partly filled with trate the carbid-tank and permeate the carwater and the latter two contained in the bid and not infrequently to cause it to clog and interfere very seriously with its feeding through the distributing-valve.

the chamber K and is provided with a spider t, having laterally-extending arms, which engage the wall of the chamber and serve the twofold purpose of a guide to the valve and an agitator for the carbid in said chamber as erator to the holder.

of conduit O, which is of a diameter' greatly in excess of the diameter of the dischargepipe G in the gas-holder is placed on one side of the center of the generator C and provided with an elbow r to prevent carbid entering it, extends down to the lower end of the generator, and rises in the gas-holder B to a point about three-fourths of an inch above the upper end of tank A to prevent water disturbed by any cause getting into the conduit and preventing the passage of gas from the gen- The area of the conduit O is four or five times greater than the arca of the discharge-pipe G and conducts the valve rises and falls, and the lower end of the valve-stem, which extends into the distributing-chamber L, is connected to an arm 7c., which is secured to a valve-operating rod Z, which extends through and is supported in bearings m on in the wall of said chamber, eX- tends laterally, and is provided at each end with an arm n, having a wrist-pin o at its outer end, the two arms 7,; a and the rodZ forming a bell-crank lever7 the rod Z turning on its axis to operate the valve.

Upon the upper end of the gas-holder B are secured vertical and slotted standards U N, with the slot p of which the wrist-pins o engage and rise and fall therein as the gasholder rises and falls. The upper ends q of the standards are bent at an angle to the body thereof, and when the gas-holder sinks in the tank sufficiently to cause the wrist-pins o to run into the curved part q the operating-rod L is turned on its axis and the valve M drawn down from its seat, permitting the calcium carbid to flow into the distributing-chamber L and from thence into the gas-generator C. AS soon as gas accumulates in the gas-holder B in sufficient volume or quantity to raise the holder and the wrist-pins o leave the by conducting it through coils immersed in p water, and other devices have been employed.

This difficulty is entirely overcome by the use the gas from the generator C into the holder B as rapidly as it is generated, thus avoiding the accumulation of gas, heat, and pressure in the generator.

The operation of the generator is automatic and gas is produced in quantity to supply the demand, based upon the capacity of the apparatus.

The height of the water in the tank A is ascertained through a sight-gage s, and the carbid-tank is provided with a similar gage t.

In removing the refuse mattei' from the generator C, the vesselE having been emptied it is refilled with water and the funnel end d immersed therein to prevent air entering the generator through the valve D.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- In apparatus for generating acetylene gas, a generator, a receptacle for carbid above the generator, an interposed cylindrical carbidchamber having a vertical valve-seat formed thereon atthe lowerend of the cylinder, a conical rubber valve engaging said seat and provided with a stein extending downward from the valve, a distributing-chamber below the carbid-chamber, an arm engaging said stem, a Valve-operating rod supported by the dis'- tributing-chamber and extending laterally therefrom, a gas-holder, slotted standards having curved upper ends and supported by said holder, a wrist-pin engaging each standard and an arm connecting each wrist-pin to the valve-operating rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOVARD E. AHRENS.

Witnesses:

BENJ. E. DRY, R. B. KrNsEY.

IOC 

